Live view pixelated and not 4k

[Amatex]

Hey team,

So since my other post about the device unreachable was closed ( as it was recently fixed)

I thought I would start a new topic that's popped up since the fix was implemented.

Ever since that device not reachable error was fixed I've lost 4k live view and it's very pixalated....

However all detections in my feed show they are 4k and are not pixelated

So I think the team broke something when you fixed the error today.

Things I've tried:

• Restarting the smart hub
• Toggling 4k mode off and on for each camera
• Powering off the smarthub and for 30 seconds and turning it back on

Honestly, this feels like a never ending story with theses cameras.. 😞 

Anyway thanks team...

[ShayneS]

@Amatex 

Thank you for your continued feedback. The team is actively investigating this report, and I will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

[ShayneS]

@Amatex 

Thank you for your continued feedback. The team is actively investigating this report, and I will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

[Amatex]

Hey @ShayneS  and @StephenB & everyone else following this,

I have an update, 

After spending a while messing around in my router WIFI settings i come across a couple of options which have never been enabled before but after I turned them on the 4k icon come back and my cameras were much better quality.

The Options were:

• WMM
• Short GI
• AP Isolation
• Airtime Fairness
• Zero Wait DFS

Not sure what one caused the issue but it seems to be back, any ideas what might have caused it out of all them settings? 

[jguerdat]

What happens if you turn one at a time off?

[StephenB]

I'm giving some details on what these settings are, in case you want to probe further.   Some of them are specific to TP-Link routers. 

FWIW, my Orbi mesh system doesn't expose any of these settings (though AP isolation is automatically applied to guest networks).  So I can't confirm your results myself.

I suspect the change is most likely due to Airtime Fairness or Short GI.

I recommend disabling AP isolation (as noted below).

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@Amatex wrote:

• WMM

---

This prioritizes multimedia traffic over other traffic, so it is a possibility.  But AFAIK it is enabled on my Orbi Mesh (with no way to turn it on or off).  So while possible, I think it is unlikely.

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@Amatex wrote:

• Short GI

---

This stands for "short guard interval".  It might improve throughput, but it can create problems if you are in a congested environment (in other words, when you set it the network is more vulnerable to interference).

Not likely to be a factor, I can't completely rule it out.

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@Amatex wrote:

• AP Isolation

---

Usually you just set this on guest networks.  It prevents your wifi devices from connecting directly with each other.  It seems unlikely to be a factor, since your cameras connect to your router over ethernet.

It could create some issues for your other devices, so I suggest disabling this one.

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@Amatex wrote:

• Airtime Fairness

---

This is a bit tricky to explain.  Only one wifi device can be sending or receiving at a time.  With the normal scheduling algorithm, slower connections will get get more time.  "Airtime Fairness" gives each device to the same amount of time.  So the effect is that the throughput for faster devices goes up, and the throughput for slower devices goes down.

Outdoor cameras usually have slower connections, since they are further away from the wifi AP/router indoor.  But that depends on what is connected to your network.  So this could slow down the camera transmission.  But it could speed up the phone and PC wifi connections.  

Could be changing the behavior, hard to say.

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@Amatex wrote:

• Zero Wait DFS

---

Some wifi channels are also used by radar.  The router monitors these channels, and won't use them if it detects radar signals.  If the router does detect RADAR when using these channels, the router has to switch to a different channel.  Zero Wait DFS speeds up that switch - the router is monitoring all channels for radar, so it can instantly switch when radar is detected on the channel you are using.

This is unlikely to be a factor here. 
 

[Edinburgh_lad1]

It's none of the above but the issue with firmware/software at Arlo's end, I'm afraid and I suspect. The issue came on all of a sudden and it's suspicious to see it being experienced by other users.

To be honest, the system is so fragile, with *constant* issues here and there, that it's actually surprising to see it working at all. 

[Amatex]

I can confirm this 

I have turned off all the above one by one, and still have 4k 

So after all this I strong believe,  no I know Arlo has broken something as @marnihome & @Edinburgh_lad1 have this issue as well , I want this to be further investigated.

I will keep an eye on this thread and if if I lose the 4k symbol.again I will be back 

[StephenB]

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@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

but the issue with firmware/software at Arlo's end,

---

FWIW I agree.  But it could be useful for Arlo to know if some wifi settings make a difference in the behavior.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Why would they make a difference? Presumably the system is orientated to work in all sorts of environments and if this isn't the case, Arlo shouldn't be advertising it as 4k. It should also be tested in all sorts of environments and it's not. And I object to being a volunteer tester for this specific company. Yes, the download/upload speed matters but anything else wouldn't have an impact. It's not like this system is an extension to/complement existing routers in any way (because Arlo have a long way to achieve that), but it's a stand alone system that should work with any provider and deliver what it aims to deliver. At the moment, it doesn't deliver at many levels, I'm afraid to say. 

[StephenB]

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@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Why would they make a difference?

They made a difference for @Amatex 

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Oh really, or is that a coincidence? This problem has been going on for months, and is intermittent: sometimes cameras stream in 4k (or rather they say it's 4k, because the 2k badge initially appears to immediately turn to 4k with no difference in quality, except for a momentary green screen in-between, regardless of the distance between the camera and the hub) and sometimes they do t. What's that got to do with the router's settings, especially that it's intermittent, but I'll accept that each user's environment is different. 

[StephenB]

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@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Oh really, or is that a coincidence?

Which is what a deeper dive could reveal.  If it is a coincidence, then @Amatex would see the 4K badge after reverting all the settings. 

No idea why you are arguing with me here, as I am only suggesting that a deeper dive could yield some more information.  We agree that there is an Arlo bug.

As I said earlier in this thread, I am not seeing the 4K badge on any of my Ultra livestreams.  Personally not a big deal, since my phone screen is 2340x1080 (so about 1080p anyway), and I don't normally zoom when I livestream.  But I get it is a big deal for some users (obviously including you and @Amatex  ).